Photo credits: Tami Quan (Chan), David Stevens (Valliant), Gord Rufh (Vecvanagas)
West Kelowna Warriors forward Emmanuel Chan, Coquitlam Express forward Chase Valliant and Victoria Grizzlies goaltender Mikus Vecvanags have been named the BCHL 3 Stars of the Month for September.
1st Star – Emmanuel Chan (F) – West Kelowna Warriors
Chan leads the BCHL in goals and points at the conclusion of September after piling up a 9-3-12 stat line in six games.
The 2007-born forward has at least one goal in every game to start the season. On opening night against the Cranbrook Bucks, Chan scored twice in a 5-3 home win and on Sep. 29 in a rematch in Cranbrook, the Montreal, Que. product notched his first hat trick of the season, scoring the game winning goal with 1:19 to play in the third period in a 4-2 Warriors win. He was named first star in both contests.
Eight of his nine goals have come at 5-on-5 with the other coming on the power play.
2nd Star – Chase Valliant (F) – Coquitlam Express
Through four games this season, Valliant has totaled seven goals and two assists for nine points.
The Surrey, B.C. native started off his season on fire, scoring six goals in his first two games. In Coquitlam’s season opener on Sep. 18, Valliant notched a hat trick and added two assists for a five-point outing in a 5-3 road victory. The following night, he notched his second straight hat trick in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs. Through the first two games of the season, Valliant had been in on all eight of his team’s goals.
His seven goals are second most in the BCHL, while his nine points are tied for third.
3rd Star – Mikus Vecvanags (G) – Victoria Grizzlies
Vecvanags owns a perfect 4-0 record to start this season, stopping a combined 117 of 121 shots for a .967 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average, while playing every minute for his team so far.
The Latvian netminder has allowed one goal or less in three of four contests, highlighted by a Sep. 27 performance where he stopped all 39 shots against in a 1-0 road win over the Powell River Kings for his first shutout of the season. He was named first star of the game. On Sep. 19 in a road date with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, he stopped 31 of 32 shots in a 3-1 win and was again named first star.
His goals-against average is tied for first in the league, while his save percentage ranks second.
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Honourable mentions:
Brooks Bandits F Makaoi Van Tassel: 5GP – 7G – 2A – 9PTS
West Kelowna Warriors F Max Dinneen: 6GP – 5G – 5A – 10PTS
Nanaimo Clippers G Hugo Laring: 4GP – 3W – .946 SV% – 1.76 GAA
Alberni Valley Bulldogs G Dayton Kitchener: 2GP – 2W – .971 SV% – 1.00 GAA
